Talk DISD

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It’s playtime in Dallas ISD! Trustees pass daily recess requirement.

It’s playtime for elementary students in Dallas ISD after trustees on Thursday approved to make daily recess a requirement.

Students in prekindergarten through fifth grade will have at least 20 minutes of daily recess for the rest of the school year. The time length will increase to a minimum of 30 minutes next school year.

School staff also can’t ban students from recess as a form of discipline for minor offenses.

Audience members at the board meeting applauded and cheered after trustees approved the change, which was included with consent agenda items that required one vote.

Several students spoke, including six-year-old Madeline Ziehm.

“I get 15 minutes of recess, I want 100 minutes,” she told the board to a roomful of laughter.

About 78 percent of the district’s elementaries have offered daily recess, but most only provided 15 minutes or less, according to a survey by the district. Only 3 percent of schools had recess for 20 minutes or more, the survey found.

Trustee Dan Micciche brought the initial proposal to the board. He has cited studies that show recess improves social and emotional health and learning.

In other matters, trustees approved to issue $645 million in school building bonds. The bonds, which are expected to be bid Feb. 9, are part of a $1.6 billion bond measure passed by voters in November. The first round of construction projects are expected to begin in April.

Also at the meeting, a new policy that outlines the district’s goals and plans for early childhood education was approved by trustees.

The policy, pushed by trustee Miguel Solis, states in part that the district “shall offer prekindergarten to all eligible three and four year old children within the district.” A goal is to serve 100 percent of eligible families in DISD by the 2025-2026 school year.

Mike Miles says purpose of initiative is on how to help African American students, but most of the initiatives can be applied to many students across the board. Trustee Nancy Bingham is wanting to know if we're doing the same thing for kids across the district. She said they should be done for all kids. Miles understands, says point well taken. Trustee Bernadette Nutall chimes in, tells Bingham to look at the scores for black kids over the years --- "they're at the bottom...and the achievement gap is spreading farther and farther." Nutall is right about that.

Listening to the African American Success Initiative report. Waiting to hear something with some teeth. Giving some schools a "focused approach" is being discussed. I imagine that should have been Step 1 some years ago. Moving on....the presenter is showing the gaps between black DISD students and white students at the state level. The gaps are there, but they've been there for years. Next. Presenter is giving short-term goals: an increase by 3 points in graduation rate, SAT scores up by 120 points, ACT scores up by 1.5 points, decrease gaps in academics, etc. Now, presenters talking about "systems of support" and "maximizing resources." Concentrations in Pinkston, Madison and Lincoln feeder patterns. OK. More talk on maximizing resources. Make sure executive directors are intimately involved (I should hope so). Next, please. A major component of plan, work with each feeder pattern principal to develop strategies. Ok, heard that one before -- it has to really be carried out for it to be successful. Black kids have fallen farther behind Hispanic kids in recent years in DISD, that's why this is getting some attention. Next, there will be evaluations to determine what's working. Welp, that's it. Hope it works.

Who is the newly assigned Ed? Did miles have the same type of setup in Colorado that he does here, as far as Ed's and asst sups. Has the board ever commented on why they hired miles in the first place? He does not have a history of success in school systems. Was it West Point or what exactly did they see in him? Since taxpayers did not have a say in the superintendent selection can we have a recall? I want my child educated not able to just give quick thumbs up to ideas

I received this in my inbox for the Roosevelt High School 50th anniversary: Franklin D. Roosevelt High School was built in 1963 and has been educating students in Southeast Dallas for 50 years!!

To commemorate this extraordinary accomplishment, a 50th Anniversary Memorial has been designed and scheduled to be built in front of the Auditorium.

For just $40.00, you can have:

A specially engraved brick with your name, your business, or the name of a deceased loved one.Engrave up to 3 lines, with 16 letters per lineBrick costs are $25 for Current Students, $40 for Alumni, & $50 for Community members.In order to complete phase I of the project, we need to secure a minimum of 300 orders for this Brick Campaign to be successful by February 28th.

We need all hands on deck!! We are encouraging elected officials, business owners, community leaders, and all interested parties to purchase bricks to support this worthy endeavor!!

We only have to have a "minimum" of 300 orders, but we can build it larger if we get enough participation!!

To place your orders, please contact Mrs. Earlene Webb at: ewebb@dallasisd.org or by calling her at 972-925-6800.

Last day to place your orders is February 28th, 2013!! Be a lasting part of Roosevelt history!!

...traditional 8 classes a day in high school, 30 mins added, 90 minutes for teachers before or after school, etc. etc. the dictator is out to get teachers and principals who don't follow him. DISD is now North Korea in action.

I have never seen teachers and principals so stressed out than this year. Miles continues to spread fear and intimidation in schools. Three hours of meeting with him yesterday and not once the curriculum nor STAAR EOC was mentioned. He wants his LO, DOL and monkey response system MRS seen in the classrooms. He does not care about teachers and principal input. He does not care about anyone including the Board of Trustees. Flexible calendar is scraped, traditional schedule

If the board will not act on Mike Miles micromanagement, then they should not be surprised if parents and students will picket in front of Ross avenue. He now dictates all students will remain on campus until June11. He mandates traditional 7 or 8 traditional daily classes in high schools. He dictates teachers and principals on what to do with lessons and responses from students. He wants all to dance his tunes and watch his movie clips. He pays high salary to executive directors who has the least impact in campus performance. He does not value teachers with experience, that we plateau after 3 or more years in teaching. In my 12 years in education, I've never seen or experience a superintendent as sick as Mike Miles. I will take the 3k resignation incentive and run away as fast as I can.

Bullied by Miles understand only one thing. Pay up! You do not stand by the definition of bully whenit is being done by your own superintendent. BOT we are going to replace you and Miles. Trust that. Attended a meeting tonight and parents, former employees, current employees and even alimni from W T White showed up and have the backingmto show out come electoon day.

Written on this page. This page is written documentation and publis knowlege therefore when greivances are filed , anr they will be hy principals who are being hunted down, you will pqy dearly. Those of you who allow Miles

Everyone is required to clock in at the start of the day. I would suggest that you clock out before leaving the building. Your timecard will only reflect that you worked 8 hours, but you have documentation that can be used when you are identified by the district as not meeting expectations. Then when they attempt to terminate you, use the data in your grievance. I don't think there are enough hours in the day to meet the expectations of the district.

If you want info from the frontlines, put together a survey that can be taken on line and ask telling questions. If you need help with the questions I'm sure patrons of this blog could provide some....just ask.

Okay, The BOT minus Mrs. Ranger is in on everything Miles is doing. Remember before the holidays, the audit issues. They paid someone off and swept that under the rug. Now the principals and teachers who have been around for several years have gotten written up, a zero on spot observations, nothing is right, teachers aren’t doing MRS, the DOL is wrong, just anything to find a way to not extend contracts. But the little short dictator is a liar who is so out of touch. The incompetent BOT minus Mrs. Ranger are just EMABRRASED for selecting this uncertified army ranger that served in the classroom for only 7 years.

Harrison District 2 ran him out of Colorado all the way to Texas. Teachers are ready to run this B U L L Y out of Dallas all the way to Japan.

Miles is like a tormentor. Next in his list is North Dallas to give way to his charter school project. Principal Escanilla was instrumental in getting her school the Race to the Top money of six million dollars before Mike Miles came. The school is on the rise but Miles will take North Dallas dignity away. Roosevelt leicha Shaver and Pinkston Norma Villegas are under the gun too. What's up with Miles targeting the strong female principals in the district? Marian Willard is a strong leader and look what she's going through right now under the dictator Miles.

It is all about real estate. The city wants Madison wnd Roosevelt high schools out of the way for urban renewal projects. They want to closethe schools and sell the land ypto the city. This has never been about educating children. This is business complimnts of taxpayers dollars and theBOT playing games witheducation funds

Miles once said that you cannot hire or fire your way to success. It is scary that he does not take his own advice. What happened to the idea of getting BOT would do a little research, I believe they would find that Miles's dictatorship type of rule does not work. If they would actually step foot into a school, they would see it is not working.

This year has been a nightmare for all. Board I blame you, it took you a year to find a Supt. and this is what you came up with. Shame on you. As far as flex-schedule many of our students have made plans based on the calendar that has been out since last summer. How can you change at the last minut? I hope the parents stand up against all this nonsense.

We can tell our principal is beat down. She tries everything to improve our school. We rally behind her, we do everything she asks us to do. Our students respond to her with respect. Our community and parents are supportive of all her initiatives to improve our school. She doesn't tell us her worries but we can tell she is beat down and tired. Soon she will join those who already gave up to the tyranny and insanity called DISD. We are losing the best teachers in DISD. Soon great principals like my principal will leave the district. BOT, are you listening?

More things people should know about Mike Miles from a teacher's perspective. The state of Texas has an established evaluation system for teachers. It is called PDAS. Every other district uses it. It calls for "walk thrus" and a 45 min. observation, I think once during the year. Some teachers advanced to the point where they earn a "less than annual" appraisal. I believe that is once every two years. Miles has changed these rules as he wants. Everyone will be appraised or observed this year he says. He is also using his spot observations in place of the walk thru forms. The PDAS system does not call for MRS strategies and DOL's as he defines them. This is not right. MRS strategies and DOL does not work. There is no other district that requires them the way he wants them implemented. The students of DISD are being under educated as has been stated earlier in this post. It does not work in an elementary classroom in reading. I have not heard anyone else say that it works anywhere else either.

Please volunteer in the school board campaign of Ms Wynn who we are building grassroots support against Lew Blackburn. The taxpayers are tired of his strut, flashy ways and no results. He is responsible for bringing Mike Iles here. He is the one!

Some posts got me digging for more about Miles record in HSD2. Six years as sup there and he has 8 schools rated B, sixteen 16 schools rated C and one school rated D. Students only need 23 credits to graduate in high school yet 75% of graduates need remedial courses in college. He comes to Dallas ISD with two high schools rated already TOP and the highest in the nation, gets 300K plus salary, and gets to bring in top salary cabinet and ED's. Why did the BOT hire somebody with no track record of success? Can somebody explain this nonsense to the public? Oh yeah this man has got some talent to fool all of you. Dallas, you got punked!

Miles proposes a new calendar for 2012-2013 when school year is way past spring semester. The 2012-13 calendar went thru a series of meetings with teachers and parent groups and now he wants to scrap all that because he wants his idea and his own only without consultation from principals, teachers and other stakeholders. He wants to dictate the Board now. This district is going nuts because of a small-minded, shortmansyndrome supt. Come on, Harrison district, laugh at us. Your lost is our misery now.

As earlier stated, DISD nedds to be broken into 3-4 districts, else it will continue to emplode. Things will not change until this happens; many people are getting money fat and do not want a change...politics in the lowest form.

He won't be here much longer, the city and people of Dallas, Texas will make it right...you will see...The worst fear of a DISD administrator is that they will lose their 6 digit check and have to go back to a schoo or worse, back to the classroom. They know the truth and dodge it as long as they are not in the trench. We get the abuse we do because kids don't study and administration can do nothing about it, but blame, bully, and abuse those who are at the schools. Intervention is needed at the home and with parents.

Miles will destroy your spirit and community if Dallas will not act immediately. Harrison has only 25 schools, and the two high schools with a grade of "C" after six years on the job. Dallas has 200 plus schools. What were your BOT thinking? He will bring in his small town mentality to an urban district and expect magic from all of you. Wake up Dallas!

Parents,Our Black and Brown children are being robbed of something they so well deserve.See Mile’s report card grade from last year. He was the superintendent of Harrison School District 2 in Colorado. 68% of Sierra High School graduates, who went to college in Colorado, needed to re-take high school-level courses (remediation rate). This is a DISGRACE to children and parents through-out the United States!Is this what you want for your child(dren)?

Looks like the administration wants to do away with the optional flexible year program, meaning that kids who did really well won't get to end their school year a few days earlier. A main reason cited for the proposed change is that STAAR scores won't be out until May 30, the same day that would have been the last one for students allowed to end the year early. We'll see what trustees have to say... sire.dallasisd.org